A Prayerful Response to #StopSuicide, by Ingrid Peschke

Posted by kjohnson on Sep 19, 2016 in Blog | Comments Off on A Prayerful Response to #StopSuicide, by Ingrid Peschke

With suicide being the 10th leading cause of death in the United States people from all walks of life are joining together to support national suicide prevention. Ingrid Peschke, a colleague and syndicated writer, who focuses on connecting consciousness, spirituality and health, offers her spiritual perspective on the lure and the cure of this prolific epidemic. She shares her personal experience and an inspiring testimony that reveals how faith in a higher power (God) can and does dispel the darkness and the hopeless thoughts that accompany the contemplation and the act of committing suicide. Take a moment and read this thought provoking article-it’s worth it!

This week people in the United States have rallied around national suicide prevention, many using the #StopSuicide hashtag on social media.

My daughter’s English Literature class also addressed the topic of suicide this week when it analyzed Langston Hughes’s poem, “Suicide’s Note.” It’s a succinct poem, just three condensed lines, but packed with meaning:

The calm,
Cool face of the river
Asked me for a kiss.

My daughter, a Christian Scientist, shared her observation with the class that by personifying the river, the poem suggests that the apparent allure of suicide does not originate with individuals, but comes first as a suggestion to their thought. The poem also expresses how suicide beckons its victim with the cool relief of escaping the pains of one’s problems by the possibility of retreating to a calmer place – but, like a charlatan, its promises are empty.

For those seeking a spiritual answer to assist in preventing what is considered the 10th-leading cause of death, the question naturally arises, “How can I pray effectively about this issue?”

Kate is interested in sharing blogs about the impact of prayer and spirituality on our health written by her colleagues. As a Christian Science practitioner and teacher, Kate has experienced the power of prayer in her life as well as in the lives of others. She is the media and legislative contact for Christian Science in Maryland. Kate can be contacted through Twitter @CScomMaryland and email at: maryland@compub.org